TOM CRUISE HONORED WITH NAVY DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD, HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR
Tom Cruise received the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award in recognition of his commitment to the military corps. Public knowledge of the Navy's highly skilled personnel and the sacrifices they make have grown as a result of his work in the film business.
His performance as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the acclaimed movie Top Gun also encouraged many to acknowledge the sacrifices made by these heroes. His movie, considered to be among the best military movies, really inspired a new generation to continue serving the country following the footsteps of those who did it first.
Why Tom Cruise Deserves the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award
The 62-year-old actor received the medal from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro for his exceptional service to the Navy and Marine Corps at Longcross Studios. According to the BBC, Del Toro stated that Tom Cruise has been an advocate for all the military families of the Navy and Marine Corps for almost forty years.
Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, two of the film star's biggest hits, honor the world of naval aviators. Cruise expressed his pride at the extraordinary acknowledgment upon receiving the award.
Cruise shared that he has a tremendous amount of respect for every service member, especially knowing what they’ve done through his movies. His work on the movies gave him an idea of what goes on in the life of military personnel, and for that, he is thankful to them.
Top Gun’s Impact on Military
The military said that Cruise had increased public awareness and appreciation for our highly trained personnel and the sacrifices they make while in uniform. Cruise rose to fame as a result of the 1986 blockbuster film Top Gun, which was about Cold War flying aces and contributed to an increase in military recruitment. Theaters even had recruitment tables put up by the Navy.
The follow-up movie, in which Cruise's character trained a new generation of professional pilots, was once again instrumental in the increase of recruitment in the military.
The Navy claimed that the follow-up brought nostalgia to older audiences and reinvigorated the minds of newer audience members. This also targeted the younger audience’s interest in joining the Navy through what was shown in the movie.
The Future of the Top Gun Franchise
The future of the Top Gun franchise and a third film is becoming more possible following Tom Cruise's victorious comeback. In Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise returned to one of his most famous roles as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, 36 years after the first movie became a global phenomenon.
The audience's love for Captain Pete Mitchell was rekindled by Maverick, and Top Gun 3 was immediately proposed because of the critical and commercial success of the 2nd film.
The second movie follows Captain Mitchell being called back to Fightertown, USA, to instruct a new generation of pilots who were billed as the best of the best. With cinematic aerial shots and a strong sense of nostalgia for the first Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick threw Pete Mitchell into the present day.
The second film was also a huge box office success, earning $1.4 billion worldwide and ranking as one of the top blockbusters in 2022. In spite of this, Top Gun 3 was not hurried into production, and no significant updates have been released yet.
While waiting for any news, the world can only wait for more of Pete Mitchell, and the entire military community couldn’t be more thankful that movies such as this are still being supported.
What the DPS Award Means and Previous Winners
A civilian who is not employed by the Department of Navy can receive the highest accolade the Secretary of the Navy can give them, which is the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. Founded in 1951, it honors particular acts of valor or distinguished service that benefit the Navy, Marine Corps, or the Department of the Navy.
Joe Rosenthal, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who took the famous picture Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, was one of the previous winners of the said award. It was also given to Sybil Stockdale in recognition of her efforts to raise awareness of the abuses of prisoners of war and to advocate for their families during the Vietnam War.
Cinematographer Christopher Jackson was another recipient of the DPS award for saving Marine Corps Sgt. Courtney Rauch from a flaming Humvee in Afghanistan in 2008. The Humvee that Jackson and Rauch were riding in was hit by an IED while filming for Oliver North's show on the Fox News Channel, rendering Sgt Rauch unconscious.
These are just some of the notable winners of the award, and Tom Cruise now belongs to this select few.
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